Dining plan - mini review

[adamtoonarmy]

Some of you may recall that I haven't been a fan of the dining plan in the past and I once infamously turned it down a few years ago opting instead for room only. The thread I started discussing that and a few that followed got a bit out of hand and were closed or had posts deleted. That was the last time I posted on the DDP although I did do an interview for the dibbcast on the subject.

I've just returned from Old Key West and financial circumstances for this trip meant that the only way we could stay onsite was by utilising free dining. So with some trepidation I went ahead and booked it. I thought I would post my thoughts and experiences on the plan and see what my fellow dibbers think and maybe help out some DDP virgins prior to their trips.

Please note that my experiences and thoughts are personal to me and that I accept that others will have different opinions which I completely respect.

I'm going to approach this in reverse Segio Leone style.

The Ugly

There was way too much food. First timers often ask what they should do for their third meal - my answer would be nothing. There will be plenty of food using your entitlements. I used to be 21.5 stone - I know how to eat but I still struggled to get through it all.

I ate way more than I would have done if I hadn't been on DDP. Particularly desserts which I don't really eat at home.

I felt like it was a challenge to get through all of the food and credits - I pushed myself to manage it and ate when I wasn't really hungry. Now this is more down to my personality than anything else. I was getting 'free stuff' off Disney and I was going to have all of it no matter what. Other dibbers may be more comfortable leaving credits behind but I wasn't - daft really isn't it as it was all free?

I like to eat at some off site restaurants and particularly like breakfast at Ihop. There was no way I could do that this trip without leaving credits behind and spending money on food that wasn't in the budget. Again this comes down to my personality - Ihop is cheap but there was no way I was paying for food when Disney would give it to me for free.

The Bad

Via Napoli. Excellent service but the food was pretty bad. We had pizza which was meh and chicken parm which was clearly made with a precooked and reheated chicken breast. Disappointing as I had been looking forward to it.

Rose and Crown

Service was below par and my medium steak had been incinerated. I let the server know and she offered to have it replaced but we were on a tight schedule. The dessert was appalling - sticky toffee pudding that was rock hard and stale around the edges. I think we suffered from being British here as our server was providing excellent service to a couple of big tables of Americans. When she eventually brought my check she had already totaled it up with a zero tip. I think she had assumed that 2 Brits on the dining plan would not be leaving a tip so she didn't bother her backside. I left a very average cash tip for her for some very average service.

Be our Guest Dinner

Service was excellent but food was just average. I also think that serving the same desserts you get at the QS lunch is a bit of a cheek.

One of my previous concerns about dining plan was not an issue though. Booking ADR's restricts spontaneity to a degree but FP plus also does that so it wasnt really a problem. I did change some ADR (and FP plus) less than 24 hours in advance though.

Now some positives:

The Good

I wanted to finish with the good points as overall I would say that despite my apprehension and the issues above that I did enjoy being on the dining plan. There was something a little special about using the magic band to get food knowing that I did not have to pay for it. The food and experiences were generally very good and I did things that I never would have done if I hadn't been on the plan.

Some of the highlights were:

The Garden Grill on our first full day - absolutely loved the food and the experience.

Liberty Tree Tavern - it doesn't have the best reputation but we thoroughly enjoyed it. Food and service were awesome.

Breakfast Pizza at the excellent Wolfgang Puck Express.

A last minute change of plans due to torrential rain saw us eat at Olivias Cafe at OKW. It was awesome despite its dodgy reputation and we ate there another three times.

Sanaa - OMG Sanaa was fantastic!

Chef Mickeys breakfast. We had a very poor experience at Dibb favourite Tusker House last year so went here with some trepidation. The food was plentiful, hot and fresh while the character interaction was brilliant.

Crystal Palace for Dinner - probably the best buffet I have ever had. Our server was fantastic as was the character interaction.

50's prime time. Only in Disney could I get told off for eating too quickly , using my phone and having me elbows on the table and then tip the guy heavily for the experience. Food was excellent too.

We visited Coronado Springs as we are thinking of staying there in the future. We ate lunch at the Pepper Market and it was fab - my new favourite QS place - we went back 4 times.

Another positive was that it was June and it was hot - having an hour or so in an air conditioned restaurant with unlimited soft drinks was an absolute godsend.

So there you go - I'm not exactly a convert but I will do it again. We spent a fraction of the money we usually do when we are over there despite bringing $350 of merch back.

BTW in case you are wondering - we used every single credit

[loves2plan]

Well done on getting through all the credits and pleased to hear it was a better experience than the first time. Completelh agree with you that it's a lot of food and there's no need to buy any more. After 2 trips on full ddp we've opted for the qsdp next year and are looking forward to it, especially with some of the changes which have made it more flexible so we don't have to OD on chocolate cake and carrot cake

[sameeel]

thanks for sharing... Great report

[adamtoonarmy]

Originally Posted by loves2plan

Well done on getting through all the credits and pleased to hear it was a better experience than the first time. Completelh agree with you that it's a lot of food and there's no need to buy any more. After 2 trips on full ddp we've opted for the qsdp next year and are looking forward to it, especially with some of the changes which have made it more flexible so we don't have to OD on chocolate cake and carrot cake

See more...

BTW Vickie the Writers stop was doing the QSDP exchange for 3 snacks. Plenty of goodies there but all very sugary.

[mariechez]

50's prime time. Only in Disney could I get told off for eating too quickly , using my phone and having me elbows on the table and then tip the guy heavily for the experience. Food was excellent too.

lololololol

Loved your review.

[Guest]

It don't seam a lot of food 2 meals and a snack credit I usually stay offsite n prob what I go fir big breakie n did I g meal I don't av desserts tho normally

[loves2plan]

Originally Posted by adamtoonarmy

BTW Vickie the Writers stop was doing the QSDP exchange for 3 snacks. Plenty of goodies there but all very sugary.

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That's good to know, thanks. I've got a weakness for the goodies in Starring Rolls - love the chocolate and fruit tarts

[Tink75]

Thanks for the review - it's our first time on the DDP this summer.

One thing springs to mind, when you changed your ADRs did you get charged for 'no shows' at the other restaurant.

I am really concerned we are going to end up having to cancel a meal one night due to tiredness/weather etc and as there are 6 of us, don't want to end up with a $60 bill for it!

[sha9]

I only agree with the amount of food being excessive because of the dessert with every meal. Otherwise, having paid for DDP once and trying to squeeze all the value I could out of it I didn't think it was too much. It's basically breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you're trying to eat at some of your favourite offsite restaurants I agree that having DDP can feel like too much though.

I do agree about LTT and Olivia's but I didn't realise LTT didn't have a great reputation! We love it and it's one of our must-do's now. I also think Olivia's is a hidden gem.

I also agree that knowing you don't have to pay for the food your ordering is so relaxing. Although I always say I don't think DDP is worth paying for I really like the comfort of knowing food is all taken care of.

Glad you enjoyed it in the end though. I remember the thread you're referring to. It wasn't pretty!

[blusteryday]

Toon vs Food!

Thanks for the review. I would be like you Adam: if I'd paid for it... I'd have to eat it.